DropMix is one of the most original games to grace this Best Toys list. It’s made by Harmonix, the folks behind Rock Band, and is a card game of sorts where you can make music with your friends. The DropMix Bluetooth-equipped board consists of five color-coded spaces (similar to the fret on a Rock Band guitar) and the idea is that you ‘drop’ NFC-enabled cards onto the relevant slot to make sweet music. The only thing you need to do this is your phone and the accompanying app.

DropMix comes equipped with 60 cards and depending on how you put the cards down, you can mashup myriad songs or remix hits. It’s good, addictive fun and the best thing about it is that it’s been designed so you can’t really make a bum note, regardless of how tone deaf you actually are. There’s three modes on offer. There is a freestyle section of the game where you can play on your own but it’s much better with two playing, where the game turns into a competitive musical version of snap. If you do grow bored of the mix of cards - to be honest, we haven't yet - more packs are on offer but if you go down that road, you may end up paying princely sum for the game.

Nintendo’s inevitable reaction to the astronomical triumph of Activision’s Skylanders franchise and the now defunct Disney Infinity franchise, Amiibo have become some of the most popular NFC toys on the market. Often launched to support major titles (such as Super Mario Odyssey or Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle), these small toys work with built-in NFC readers in the Nintendo Switch, Wii U and later editions of the 3DS/2DS and can be used and reused daily to add more content to certain games. And while they’re usually not as expensive as Skylander toys, collecting the entire set can be a headache as Nintendo notably failed to make enough units for prior releases.

Midtown’s new home for old-world power meals in the former Four Seasons space

Your tried and true go-to for real-deal Texas-style BBQ
Hometown is certainly a destination. Located in the far-flung Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, the roadhouse-y BBQ spot offers some of the most varied meats in all of NYC -- like authentic Texas-style brisket and beef ribs, Vietnamese hot wings, and lamb belly banh mi.

Your tried and true go-to for real-deal Texas-style BBQ

A standing-room only steakhouse for devoted carnivores
The first US outpost of this popular chairless Japanese steakhouse chain is the perfect alternative to a stuffy steak dinner (and a great solution for a crazed New York schedule that still demands meat). At Ikinari, steak is ordered by the gram at the counter, cut by the butcher, and served on a cast-iron platter. From there, you can grab a spot at a
standing-room-only table
(complete with various steak sauces).

A standing-room only steakhouse for devoted carnivores

related

Intimate French/Italian bistro whose menu changes daily
Plopped down on the corner of the mostly non-commercial King Street is the aptly named King, a bright and airy French/Italian restaurant from co-chefs Clare de Boer and Jess Shadbolt, who met while working together at River Café in London, and GM Annie Shi, previously of London's Clove Club. The slightly upscale but totally frill-less menu changes daily, pulling inspiration from both countries for dishes like hand-cut tagliarini verde and poached ox tongue.

Intimate French/Italian bistro whose menu changes daily

Hand-pulled pasta just like Nonna used to make in a minimalist Williamsburg venue
Lilia straddles the line between hip and comforting better than almost any restaurant in New York. You may be sitting in a packed, converted garage designed to fit the standardized Williamsburg aesthetic (metal chairs, gray banquettes, exposed wood beams, white-painted brick walls), but it's Missy Robbins' simple yet thoughtful approach to homestyle Italian cooking that makes the place feel more like your nonna’s kitchen than a trend-chasing eatery. Try the ever-popular mafaldini -- handmade ruffled noodles, cooked perfectly al dente and tossed simply with Parmesan, butter, and ground pink peppercorns.

Hand-pulled pasta just like Nonna used to make in a minimalist Williamsburg venue

An update on classic Middle-Eastern/Israeli eats from a NYC restaurant-veteran
From chef/owner Tomer Blechman (previous of Lupa, Gramercy Tavern Cookshop), this modern Israeli restaurant, complete with a 30-seat backyard, offers fresh takes on traditional Middle Eastern dishes, like homemade labne, grilled octopus, and three types of hummus. Be sure to kick your meal off with a shot of vodka with pickled mushroom -- an ode to Tomer’s Russian relatives.

Recognize the triggers that make you reach for your phone.

Understand the difference between interacting in-person and online.
Human beings are social creatures. We’re not meant to be isolated or to rely on technology for human interaction. Socially interacting with another person face-to-face—making eye contact, responding to body language—can make you feel calm, safe, and understood, and quickly
put the brakes on stress
. Interacting through text, email or messaging bypasses these nonverbal cues so won’t have the same effect on your emotional well-being. Besides, online friends can't hug you when a crisis hits, visit you when you're sick, or celebrate a happy occasion with you.

Understand the difference between interacting in-person and online.

Build your coping skills.
Perhaps tweeting, texting or blogging is your way of coping with stress or anger. Or maybe you have trouble relating to others and find it easier to communicate with people online. Building skills in these areas will help you weather the stresses and strains of daily life without relying on your smartphone.

Build your coping skills.

Recognize any underlying problems that may support your compulsive behavior.
Have you had problems with alcohol or drugs in the past? Does anything about your smartphone use remind you of how you used to drink or use drugs to numb or distract yourself?

Recognize any underlying problems that may support your compulsive behavior.

Strengthen your support network.
Set aside dedicated time each week for friends and family. If you are shy, there are ways to
overcome social awkwardness and make lasting friends
without relying on social media or the Internet. To find people with similar interests, try reaching out to colleagues at work, joining a sports team or book club, enrolling in an education class, or volunteering for a good cause. You'll be able to interact with others like you, let relationships develop naturally, and form friendships that will enhance your life and strengthen your health.

Strengthen your support network.

For most people, getting control over their smartphone and Internet use isn’t a case of quitting cold turkey. Think of it more like going on a diet. Just as you still need to eat, you probably still need to use your phone for work, school, or to stay in touch with friends. Your goal should be to cut back to more healthy levels of use.

Set goals for when you can use your smartphone.
Turn off your phone at certain times of the day,

Compared with the effect of 5-HT on the target areas, estimating the parameter values (
q
's) for the effect of NE/Ox on the target areas was relatively straightforward. As experimental data related to neuromodulator-dependent firing-rate input–output function were available, we approximated the
q
-values for the Ox effect of DRN as , , , [
62
].
q
-values for the Ox effect of LC are , , , [
62
]. Similarly,
q
-values for the NE effect of LHA are estimated as , , [
56
]. For NE effect on DRN they are , , , [
64
].

After determining the input–output functions and dynamics for all the currents, the final step is to integrate all three brain regions and their interactions. In general, the activities for the combined system will be different from the individual isolated systems. Thus, the baseline activities of the coupled system will be different from that observed from the individual systems. However, the remaining set of parameters, the neuromodulator release per stimulus frequencies, i.e. the [
y
]
p
's, can be adjusted to resolve this. We found that for values of , , and at , , and , respectively, and Ox rise factor and decay rate (
α
and
η
) for DRN are 1.405 and 0.85 l s
−1
while for LC are 0.2314 nM and 0.851 s
−1
, the overall basal firing rates and concentration levels are reasonably within the experimental ranges (
table1
). Note that the baseline activities are obtained after sufficiently long simulation to attain their (stable) steady states (see
figure4
for a sample trial).

After successfully constructing the LHA–DRN–LC circuit model, we shall demonstrate simulating neuropharmacological drug effects in the system. In particular, we shall focus on effects of Ox-1 receptor antagonist (SB-334867-A), SSRIs and/or SNRIs on the LHA–DRN–LC circuit.

Pharmacologically, antagonists can be classified into two categories: competitive and irreversible antagonists [
65
]. Pre-treatment or application of competitive antagonist can shift the baseline dose–response curve horizontally. This shift towards the higher doses (of neurotransmitter) increases the effective dose (ED
50
) value of the dose–response curve (where 50% of the maximal response of the dose is being observed). Conversely, application of an irreversible antagonist can cause shifts in the maximum range of the antagonist effect and does not affect the ED
50
value [
66
].

Ox-1 receptor antagonists have been suggested to encourage sleep, as well as treatment and prevention of many psychiatric disorders [
67
]. In particular, the Ox-1 receptor antagonist, SB-334867-A, acts as a competitive antagonist which rightward shifts the Ox-A response curve in 5-HT and NE neurons in DRN and LC [
62
,
68
]. Thus, we can easily incorporate the effect of SB-334867-A, by simply laterally shifting the function .